More snow makes its way into the Heartland

Mother nature took another shot at the Heartland Friday. A snow storm blew through the area dropping several inches of snow from Southeast Missouri into Southern Illinois.

It started out Friday afternoon as rain but quickly switched over to snow. Once it did the snow started to pile up.

Heartland News crews had a hard time getting around. Travel became dangerous from Sikeston up to Perryville and places farther north.

In Illinois, by 8 p.m. several inches of snow covered Highway 51 between Carbondale and Anna, making travel along that stretch of road pretty dangerous.

The worst part of Friday's storm is that it happened during the evening commute. Many people had no choice, they had to hit the road in order to get home from work.

Heartland News photographer Don Frazier says it took him more than an hour to travel north from Cape Girardeau to Perryville.

Weather forecasters warned about the possibility of snow all week. Many people hit the stores Friday morning buying snow shovels, rock salt and even sleds.

Viewers late Friday afternoon were seeing snow as far south as Doniphan and Poplar Bluff and north in Fredericktown and Perryville in Missouri. Scott City and Cape Girardeau in Missouri and McClure, Illinois were seeing sleet shortly after 4 p.m.

The Missouri Department of Transportation road crews hit the roads at 5 a.m. Friday morning in preparation for another round of Heartland snow Friday.

Crews have been working to remove almost a foot of snow off some Missouri highways since a Christmas night blizzard hit the Heartland.

Mark Shelton, MoDOT's Southeast District engineer, said the dry run crews made in October really helped them by fully prepared. He said people that were new to the team were able to see how it all worked and came together.

According to Shelton, it doesn't matter the time or place, his crews are always ready to answer the call. He said the nice thing about having the snow so close together is that there is enough salt remaining on the ground to probably take care of this light wave of snow.

Here are some tips on driving when inclement weather hits:

-Drivers need to adjust their driving to reach their destination safely.

-Slow down when driving on snow or on ice, and increase the following distance between you and other vehicles.

-Driving conditions can change rapidly as temperatures drop, so be aware of rain changing to ice or sleet.

-Give yourself extra time, not only for your travel to allow you to clear your entire vehicle from snow and ice before you leave.

-Before you travel make sure your car has been winterized and you have an ice scraper, tire chains, flashlight, battery booster cables, blankets, and a bag of sand placed in your trunk.

-If you become stranded or see another vehicle stranded on the side of the road with passengers, please call the Missouri State Highway Patrol emergency number at 1-800-525-5555 or dial *55 on a cellular phone. These numbers will contact the nearest troop headquarters. Call here for Missouri road conditions (1-888-275-6636) before you leave to plan your route of travel.

-Illinois drivers are urged to check travel conditions before any trip. You can get road condition information by calling 511 or 1-800-452-IDOT (4368) or online at www.gettingaroundillinois.com and click on the "winter road conditions" icon. The number for Illinois State Police District 13 in Du Quoin is (618) 542-2171 and ISP District 22 in Ullin is (618) 845-3740.

(Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File). FILE - In this May 22, 2018 file photo, actor Morgan Freeman attends the 2018 PEN Literary Gala in New York. Freeman is apologizing to anyone who may have felt “uncomfortable or disrespected” by his behavior....

Actor Morgan Freeman has apologized for making anyone feel uneasy, in the wake of a CNN report in which multiple women accused him of sexual harassment or inappropriate behavior.

Actor Morgan Freeman has apologized for making anyone feel uneasy, in the wake of a CNN report in which multiple women accused him of sexual harassment or inappropriate behavior.